Pennsylvania jobless rate down slightly, payrolls up in June

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate and labor force shrank slightly in June as payrolls crept up. State figures released Friday show Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped one-tenth of a percentage point to 6.9%. The national rate was 5.9% in June. In a survey of households, the labor force shrank by 2,000 in June, closer to 6.3 million, as the number of employed grew slightly and the number of unemployed slid. In a separate survey of employers, payrolls in Pennsylvania grew in June by 11,500. Pennsylvania has regained about 60% of the 1.1 million jobs lost in the pandemic. The government sector led all gainers, while construction led the losers.